Monoplane kite



o. E. BRADFORD 2,240,881

monormns KITE 7 Filed May 7, 1940 s Sheets-Sheet 1 a OHLA 15.8RADF080.

May 6, 1941.

o. E. BRADFORD MONOPLANE KITE Filed May 7, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 gmwwtom, OKLA E. BRADFORD.

y 1941- o. E. BRADFORD 2,240,881

MONOPLANE KI'IE Filed May 7, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 6, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE MONQPLANE KITE Orla E. Bradford, Brookville, Kans. Application May 7, 1940, Serial No. 333,854

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a monoplane kite.

An'obj'ect of the invention is the improvement of a kite in which there are some elements which are very similar in appearance to a motor-driven airplane.

Another object of the invention is the provision of simple and efficient means for strengthening and'stabilizing the whole structure of a monoplane kite. w

A further object of the invention is-the provision of a novel and useful motor unit in a monoplane kite, and the provision of a novel skid means both at the front and the rear portions of the kite. l

A still further object of this invention is the addition'of useful, novel and valuable improvements, to the kite disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,824,324, issued September 22, 1931.

' With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a monoplane kite constructed in accordance with the present invention, while Figure 2 is a side View of the same.

Figure 3 is a front view.

Figure 4 is a rear view.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55, Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows. Figure 6 is a fragmentary bottom plan View.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on line1'l, Figure 5, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8, Figure 1.

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-'9, Figure 2, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 10 is a detailed view showing the manner of attaching the wing sticks and the covering together.

Referring to the drawings, in which I have shown the preferred embodiment of my invention, I designates the main frame of the kite: 2 is the wing and 3 is the tail. A motor unit 4 is an essential part of the kite, as well as other important details of the combination, as will be hereinafter specifically described.

The main frame 1 comprises two parallel sticks 5, and I use the word sticks in a broad sense,

' thereto, in any suitable manner.

meaning any suitable member for performing the desired function.

The motor unit 4 comprises a pair of transversely-extending fiat members 6, each of which is provided with a pair of elongated apertures 1 (Fig. 9) through which apertures I extend the sticks 5. A shaft 8 is journalled upon the central portion of members 6, and on the outer end of said shaft is the propeller 9. On shaft 8, between members 6, is a tooth wheel [0. A fiat spring II is secured at I 2 (Fig. 9) to the inner edge of one of the sticks 5, with the outer end of spring ll engaging the tooth wheel II]. Therefore, it will readily be seen that when shaft 8 rotates, through the medium of the propeller 9, a noise will be given off similar to the noise of a motor-driven airplane. A pair of parallel U- shaped landing skids I3 is attached by reason of the upper portions of each skid 13 passing vertically through the frame stick 5 and thence through the two flat transverse members 6, with nuts I 4 screwed securely upon the upper projecting ends of the skids. By this novel arrangement, the transverse members 6 and the skids l 3 are securely anchored together.

The wing 2 comprises two wing sticks l5 and 16. These sticks l5 and [6 are securely fastened to the sticks 5. A suitable paper or cloth covering I1 is on sticks l5 and It; the said sticks being fastened to the edge of the covering I! in any preferred manner.

The tail 3 comprises a pair of transverse tail sticks l8 and [9. Like sticks l5 and I6, sticks l8 and [9 have a suitable covering l'la attached These comparatively wide sticks l8 and 19 have the sticks 5 engaging their underface, with any suitable fastening means connecting the sticks together. A tail skid 20 (Fig. 2) is provided, this skid 20 being of substantially U-shape, with its upper ends extending through the sticks l8 and I9; the extreme ends of skid 20 are provided with nuts 2| for holding the skid in an assembled position upon the tail of the kite.

On the front ends of the sticks 5 are screw eyes 22. Screw eyes 23 are fastened to the ends of the wing sticks l5 and I6, and through said eyes 23 is threaded a guy string 24; guy string 24 is passed under the sticks 5, near their rear ends (Figs. 1 and 4), with the ends of said guy string provided with hooks 25 (Fig. 1) which hooks are hooked upon the screw eyes 22. Therefore, the guy string 24 stabilizes the entire structure of the kite.

A tail control 26 is fastened to screw eyes 21,

which screw eyes are attached to the tail stick IS.

A control string 28 runs free upon the screw eyes 29 (Fig. 6), and this control string terminates in a single extension 30 that is of sufiicient .length for the operator to satisfactorily fly the kite. To efficiently bow the front wing stick l upwardly, a bow-string 3| is provided, this string being fastened permanently at one end to a screw eye 23 (Fig. 1) and its other end is provided with a hook 32 that is hooked into one of the screw eyes 23 (Fig. 3), whereby the Wing is bowed upwardly at its front portion, causing the kite to have a floating action, whereby the kite will not glide sideways and crash; it will also cause the kite to have a more even sailing action.

It is to be understood that the free movement of the control string 8 upon eyes 29 results in the kite, when sailing, having an automatic balancing effect.

The application of the guy string 24 is easily affected by reason of the hooking of a portion of the string quickly under the rear ends of sticks 5, with the string threaded through the screw eyes 23 and leaving the operator free to quickly cause hooks 25 to engage the screw eyes 22, as clearly shown in Figure 1, and for the desired eifect.

Thenovel construction of a motor unit results in a very strong and efiicient structure, since the parts are simple but very uniquely constructed and assembled."

The wing sticks I5 and i6 are each placed in a'pocket 33 on the edge of the covering II (Fig. By this construction, the sticks i5 and I5 are-removable from the covering [7.

While I have described the preferred embodiment of my invention and illustrated the same in the accompanying drawings, certain changes or alterations may appear to one skilled in the art to which this invention relates during the extensive manufacture of the same and I, therefore, reserve the right to make such changes or alterations as shall fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a monoplane kite, the combination of a main frame comprising sticks, transversely-extending members on said sticks, each stick extending through both of said transversely-extending members, skids having portions extending through said sticks and transversely-extending members, and sound producing means on said transversely-extending members and one of said sticks.

2. In a monoplane kite, the combination of a. frame comprising a pair of parallel sticks, a pair of transversely-extending members, each of said members being provided with a pair of elongated apertures, a' portion of a stick in each elongated aperture, a pair of U-shaped skids, end portions of each skid in a stick and extending through both of said transversely-extending members, whereby said sticks and transversely-extending members are fixedly secured together, and sound producing means on said transversely-extending members and one of said sticks.

3. In a monoplane kite, the combination of a pair of flat parallel vertically-positioned members, each member provided with aligned horizontally-elongated apertures, said apertures of each flat member being in alignment with the apertures of the other member, flat main-frame sticks extending through the elongated apertures of said flat members, U-shaped landing skids, each skid extending longitudinally of a main frame stick, each skid having its upper ends eX- tending through a stick and through both of said fiat transverse members, nuts on the upper ends of said slide and in engagement with the tops of said fiat transverse members, and said flat transverse members and one of said sticks being provided with sound producing means.

4. In a monoplane kite, the combination of a main frame, a wing and a tail, a guy string passed under the rear end of said main frame and over the top of said tail, means on the ends of said Wing for slidably receiving said guy string, and said main frame provided at its front end with means for detachably securing the ends of said guy string thereto.

5. In a monoplane' kite, the combination of a main frame, screw eyes on the forward end of said main frame, a tail across said main frame with the rear end of said main frame extending beyond saidtail, a' wing-on said main frame, screw eyes on the ends of said wing, a singlepiece guy string extending through said screw eyes on said wing and hooked under the extended rear end of said main frame and passed freely over the top of said tail, said guy string provided with hooks on its ends, and said hooks fastened to the screw eyes on the forward end of said main frame.

6. In a monoplane kite, the combination of a main frame, a wing on said main frame, said wing including a front bendable win'g'stick, said wing stick being provided on its ends with screw eyes, a bow string fixedly secured at one end to one of said screw eyes'and provided on its other end with a hook, and said hook fastened to the other screw eye on said wing stick.

7. In a monoplane kite, the combination of a main frame including sticks, screv. eyes fastened to the under faces of said sticks, a control string threaded through said screw eyes and being capable of sliding movement thereon, and an extension on said control string.

ORLA E. BRADFORD. 

